Cover: Frontline correspondent
Martin Smith traveled across Iraq
to report on whether democracy
can take root in this war-torn land.

homas Jefferson spoke eloquently about the critical role an independent press
plays in sustaining a democracy. Some 250 years later, his words still ring true. In
today’s complex, interconnected world, the need for independent, in-depth journalism
in the public’s interest has never been greater.
Giving top-notch journalists and producers the time and resources they need to
investigate the important stories of our region, nation, and world has always been
part of WGBH’s core mission. Today, millions of Americans—across New England and
around the country—count on public media for investigative reports, news and analysis,
diverse perspectives, and fresh voices they can trust. And much of that content is
produced right here at WGBH.
In this issue, we’ll introduce you to some of WGBH’s extraordinary friends whose
passion for independent journalism is allowing us to pursue innovative ways to create
and deliver stories that matter—and to interact with our audiences—across a growing
range of digital platforms.
You’ll meet Jon Logan, who talks about his father’s and his family’s commitment to
investigative reporting and Frontline. And Bill and Nan Harris, who have consistently
stepped up to keep The World the place for interesting, important stories from around
the globe that you won’t ﬁnd anywhere else.
You’ll also learn about some of the exciting new directions 89.7 WGBH, Boston
Public Radio, is taking under the leadership of its new managing director, Phil Redo.
And you’ll get an up-close look at two WGBH journalists whose groundbreaking work is
supported by generous gifts and bequests to WGBH endowed funds.
We’re grateful to the Logan family, Bill and Nan Harris, and to all of you for helping
WGBH keep independent journalism a vibrant and vital part of the democratic equation.

J O N AT H A N C . A B B O T T
PRESIDENT AND CEO

Keeping Frontline Strong

David Logan’s Legacy:

Investigative Reporting

B

y all accounts, david logan was a force of nature: brilliant, sometimes
brusque, and always passionate about ensuring that everyone had access to
education, the arts, and the news and information that shape our nation’s political life.
A University of Chicago-trained lawyer and successful investor who died this year
at the age of 93, Logan championed investigative reporting’s role in keeping a democracy
transparent and strong. In 2010, he and his wife re va made a $1.6 million gift to
Frontline to support the investigative series’ expansion to a year-round broadcast, the
addition of shorter, magazine-style programs, and the launch of an ambitious website.
“My dad grew up in a poor Chicago neighborhood,” says his son Jon, former
chair and long-time board member of the Center for Investigative Reporting and
one of three sons. “He understood marginalized communities and groups and was
committed to doing all he could to level the playing ﬁeld.”
David passed this commitment on to his children. “My dad called journalism
the accountant for the public interest, and I think that’s true,” Jon says. Despite
a proliferation of news across the Web, Jon says, professional journalism and, in
particular, investigative journalism have been hit hard by the changing media landscape. “As newspaper and television advertising drop off, the ﬁrst thing that happens
is the most expensive people on your payroll, investigative reporters, are let go.
“The fact is that if individuals and family foundations don’t support
investigative journalism today, there would be no investigative reporting,” Jon says.
“It can take years to develop an investigation, and sometimes you come up empty.
Corporate-run news organizations will rarely take that risk anymore.”
Why Frontline? “Frontline has been way ahead of its time in soliciting collaborative partnerships” with groups like the Center for Investigative Reporting, Pro Publica,
and the New York Times, Jon says. “Today, what’s important is collaboration,
strengthening each other, and making sure the story gets out. And Frontline has
developed a way to tell stories that is more understandable and comprehensive than
any other news program.
“My father was energized by his anger that things in the world weren’t quite
what they should be,” Jon concludes. “I think he would be very happy with how
Frontline is utilizing our support.”

At a time when news outlets are scaling
back, Frontline stands in stark relief.
The longest-running investigative
documentary series on
American television,
Frontline embarked on an
ambitious agenda in 2011
to increase its impact and
reach. The award-winning WGBH series
expanded to a year-round schedule, adding
magazine-style reports, building partnerships with esteemed organizations like NPR
and Pro Publica, relaunching a new website,
and ramping up its digital strategies.
“We’ve always set the bar high, tackling
tough subjects and asking hard questions,”
says WGBH’s David Fanning, Frontline’s
executive producer. “Today, we’re working
to remake our series for the digital age,
ﬁnding new ways to tell our stories.”
None of this would be possible, Fanning
says, without the Frontline Journalism
Fund, which provides crucial spend-down
and endowed funds to support the series’
expansion and to ensure that producers
have the time and resources to delve deeply
into important stories.
Among the programs Frontline is
producing for 2012 is a series on the
economic crisis that examines questions
resonating with people right now, including:
How did the economy get so bad? And how
is it affecting average Americans? Also in
the schedule: a look at the future of the
nuclear industry following the Japanese
tsunami; and how AIDS impacts the
African American community.
“Millions of people count on Frontline,”
Fanning notes. “I’m grateful to the
generous individuals whose gifts to the
Frontline Journalism Fund make our indepth, investigative journalism possible.”
To learn more about the Frontline
Journalism Fund, please contact
Allison Boehret, senior development
ofﬁcer, at 617-300-3813 or
allison_boehret@wgbh.org.

“Rather than copy news
from other sources,
The World does
its own reporting.”
b i ll ha r r i s

Covering Stories That Matter

from around The World

H

ow do you make sense of a
complex, rapidly changing world
and America’s place in it? For 2.5
million listeners across the country, the
answer is The
World, WGBH’s
award-winning
daily weekday
international
radio series
(co-produced
with the BBC
World Service and Public Radio
International), carried by nearly 300
public radio stations nationwide and
online at theworld.org.
And how is the The World able to
consistently ﬁnd and report the stories
that matter? For and rew sussm an,
who became the show’s executive
producer in 2011 after serving in the
newsroom since the program’s 1996
premiere, the answer is twofold: it’s
the team of experienced international
reporters with whom he works every
day; and a Boston-based philanthropic
PAG E 4

couple, n a n a n d bill ha r r is, who
have stepped up multiple times in support of The World’s mission and staff.
“Foreign correspondents are an
endangered species in commercial
media,” Sussman says, “but we still
believe in the need for strong reporters
who have a deep knowledge of a region
and an intuitive grasp of the important,
nuanced stories that would otherwise
remain untold. Mary Kay Magistad in
China and Laura Lynch in London, two
of our top overseas correspondents, are
great examples: they bring a wealth of
perspective, expertise, and contacts that
someone who parachutes in to cover
breaking news could never provide.”
And then there are the Harrises,
whose signiﬁcant gift to WGBH’s
Breaking New Ground Campaign a few
years back funded The World’s WGBHbased, digital studios, and who more
recently made a generous advance on a
planned bequest that enabled The World
to support Laura Lynch’s work.
“Rather than copy news from other

sources,” says Bill, a Harvard orthopedic
surgeon who pioneered reconstructive
hip surgery, “The World does its own
reporting, with people in the ﬁeld who
know how to access the stories that
really matter…people like Laura, who
report the news without a pre-conditioned slant. The world has become more
complicated as we’ve become more
inter-dependent. Having a real sense of
events, of people, of political movements,
has become increasingly difﬁcult, and
simultaneously, increasingly valuable.”
The Harrises are excited about the
many steps Sussman is taking to extend
the series’ reach: delivering The World’s
distinctive news, features, and music
programming across an expanding array
of platforms, and partnering with other
news organizations, including WGBH’s
Frontline, to produce multimedia reports,
such as Marco Werman’s recent series
on northern Japan ﬁve months after the
earthquake and tsunami. “This is a
welcome and essential transformation
that will open The World to a whole new
segment of the population,” Bill says.
“Nan and Bill understand the value
of what we do, and the challenges,”
Sussman says. “Their support means
that we can do our job.”
Listen to The World at 3pm and 6pm
on 89.7 WGBH, or online at theworld.org.
To learn more about ways to support
The World, please contact Ellen Frank,
director of Major Gifts, at 617-300-3809
or ellen_frank@wgbh.org.

ralph lowell society news
Melinda Rabb Takes On a

S

“My goals are to
meet or surpass our
fundraising goal, to
grow our membership,
and to find ways to
keep our RLS members
engaged in all the
exciting new directions
WGBH is taking.”

New Assignment: RLS Chair

he’s a Professor of English at Brown University with a special interest in English
literature through the “long 18th century” (1642-1817, from the English Civil
Wars through the career of Jane Austen). She’s a proliﬁc author with a new book in
the works. She’s also a busy wife and mother who has carved out time to actively
support a few carefully chosen, fortunate organizations. And WGBH is at the top of
Melinda Rabb’s list.
This fall, the former Ralph Lowell Society Committee member, WGBH
Overseer, and Campaign Steering Committee member and now current member of
the station’s Commercial Policies Committee and Overseers Advisory Board has
taken on a new assignment: Chair of the Ralph Lowell Society. Why, and why now?
“My interest in WGBH has only deepened over the years,” says Rabb, who sees
parallels between the role of a university and public broadcasting. “The university is
place of ideas. There’s always something new to think about, always the challenge
to press against the limits of knowledge, always people to share that knowledge
with.” Rabb explains. “My affection and respect for WGBH come, at least in part,
from the recognition that the station also is constantly promoting new knowledge in
so many different areas—and distributing and preserving it in accessible formats.”
A longtime fan of Masterpiece, Nova, Frontline, and American Experience, Rabb
says that her most frequent contact with WGBH content is through its recently
expanded radio services, 89.7 WGBH and Classical New England, which she
regularly listens to during her Boston-Providence commute. “I’m thrilled to have
another news channel with its own personality,” she says. “I also think it’s great that
WGBH’s classical radio station is becoming more of a New England presence,
including its recently expanded service in the Providence area. I like that kind of
innovative thinking.”
As Ralph Lowell Society Chair, Rabb intends to do all she can to support that
spirit of innovation. “My goals are to meet or surpass our fundraising goal, to grow
our membership, and to ﬁnd ways to keep our RLS members engaged in all the
exciting new directions WGBH is taking,” she says. “There’s never been a more
important time to step up for WGBH.”

Ralph Lowell Society members joined
ﬁlmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick at
WGBH’s Calderwood Studio on September
13 for a special sneak preview of their latest
PBS documentary, Prohibition, which
premiered later that month on WGBH 2
and PBS stations nationwide to rave reviews
and high audience ratings.

Give the perfect gift: a one-year
membership in WGBH’s Ralph
Lowell Society, entitling your special
someone or family to a year of
exceptional events while supporting
WGBH’s high-quality programs.
Contact us at 617-300-3900, or email
ralph_lowell_society@wgbh.org.

Ralph Lowell Society members at the Fellow level and above, plus special friends, gathered
at Cook’s Illustrated studios in Brookline on October 27 for an insider’s tour of America’s
most-trusted test kitchen—and some wonderful pairings of hors d’oeuvres and wine—
with America’s Test Kitchen host Chris Kimball.

Supporters of the Masterpiece Trust, whose signiﬁcant gifts are helping secure Masterpiece’s
future, joined Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton at Fenway Park on July 24 to
watch the Red Sox take on, and beat, the Seattle Mariners. The outing was hosted by Trust
donors Michelle and Steven Karol. The afternoon was sweetened by cake and a shout-out to
Masterpiece on the jumbotron.

overseers advisory board member paine metcalf
and wife barbara

masterpiece makes it to the big screen

Trustees and CAB

WGBH Trustees and Community Advisory
Board (CAB) members gathered at
WGBH’s Studios on October 5 to welcome
new CAB members and bid farewell to the
outgoing class over dinner with special
guest Paula Apsell, Nova senior executive
producer. Apsell dazzled the crowd with
a preview of Nova’s newest, four-part
miniseries, The Fabric of the Cosmos,
hosted by physicist Brian Greene, whose
best-selling books inspired both this series
and Nova’s earlier, highly acclaimed
The Elegant Universe.

in Rhode Island
Members of the WGBH and Bryant University
communities gathered on October 6 at the
University Club in Providence, RI, to launch
WGBH’s Classical New England radio service
on the university’s radio station, WJMF
88.7FM, marking the return of WGBH’s
classical broadcasts to the Providence area.

Dan Edge Named
McGhee Fellow
Can a documentary change your life? Just
ask dan edge. Ten years ago, Edge was
on his way to becoming a professor of
philosophy at his alma mater, Oxford
University. But the award-winning BBC
documentary The Death of Yugoslavia
compelled him to switch course.
Since then, the erstwhile academic has
become an accomplished documentary
ﬁlmmaker, traveling the world to report
on complex global
issues, including the
Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, the rise
of the Taliban in
Pakistan, the Maoist
insurgency in Nepal,
and the peace
process in Northern
Ireland. His work has earned several
awards, including two of broadcasting’s
highest honors: a Peabody Award for The
Wounded Platoon, which aired on WGBH’s
Frontline in 2010, and an Alfred I. duPontColumbia University Award for the 2009
Frontline ﬁlm Children of the Taliban.
Now Edge has been named WGBH’s
2011 Peter S. McGhee Fellow. The award,
which honors WGBH’s former vice
president for national programming,
is given annually to a ﬁlmmaker whose
work reflects intelligence, fairness, passion,
and scholarship.
“My goal is to present stories that
engage audiences in the important issues
of our time and that bring those in power
to account for their decisions,” says Edge,
who will spend his fellowship year covering
the post-tsunami nuclear crisis in Japan
for a Frontline special to air in spring 2012.
“WGBH and Frontline give me the time
and editorial freedom I need to ﬁnd—and
share—those stories.”
To learn how you can endow a WGBH
fellowship or position, contact Ericka
Webb, director of Gift Planning and
Endowment, at 800-220-7122 or email
planned_giving@wgbh.org.
PAG E 8

even new WGBH Overseers took up their volunteer leadership duties over the
past few months. “We’re thrilled to welcome them on board,” says Overseers
Chair Susan Kaplan. “In the coming year, they’ll have many opportunities to look
under the WGBH hood to learn about all the exciting public media projects underway
and the critical role that they as Overseers can play in keeping WGBH strong.”
The 2011 Class of Overseers includes Anthony Corey, owner, Anthony Corey
Neckwear and Anthony Corey Interior Design; Ronald A. Crutcher, President,
Wheaton College; Patricia B. Jacoby, former Deputy Director of Museum of Fine Arts
Boston (retired in 2010); Michelle M. Karol, Trustee of The Huntington Theater and
Honorary Board Member at Classics New England; Deirdre B. Phillips, Executive
Director, The Autism Consortium; Will Richmond, President and Founder, Broadband
Directions LLC; and Michelle A. Shell, Vice President and Business Line Manager,
Strategic Advisors (a subsidiary of Fidelity Investments).
“We’re grateful to the Nominating Committee and Co-Chairs Ruth Ellen Fitch,
president and CEO of Dimock Center, and Christine Dunn, owner of Dunn Associates,
for assembling this outstanding class,” says Kaplan.
“This year’s Overseers calendar of events kicked off with our ﬁrst-ever WGBH
Radio Open House, held this past October,” says Overseer Co-Chair Bob Gallery,
President of Bank of America Massachusetts. Overseers met WGBH Radio’s new
managing directors—Phil Redo, managing director for 89.7 WGBH, and Ben Roe,
managing director for Classical New England—along with their teams. “Our Overseers
were very involved in the expansion of WGBH’s radio services in 2010. It’s exciting
to see the energy, vision, and talent being applied to transform these stations into
don’t-miss destinations—on air, online, and out in our communities.”
Next up: previews and discussions around some of WGBH’s most-anticipated
2012 series, including Masterpiece’s second season of Downton Abbey, American
Experience’s latest addition to its Presidents Collection: Clinton, and Frontline’s The
Interrupters, which earned rave reviews when it premiered at the Sundance Film
Festival earlier this year. “Overseers are WGBH’s best ambassadors,” Kaplan says.
“We’re looking forward to our new class bringing their expertise and ideas to our discussions, and sharing their enthusiasm for WGBH with their friends and colleagues.”

Phillip Martin Is
New Rey Producer

89.7 WGBH, Boston Public Radio:

8

Fulﬁlling the Promise

9.7 WGBH’s move to a news format in January 2010 marked the beginning
of an ambitious transformation—one that ph il r e d o, a 30-year public and
commercial radio veteran whose bona ﬁdes include an AP Award for editorial
content and Top General Manager honors from Radio INK magazine, helped shape
as an independent media consultant to WGBH. Now he’s back as 89.7 WGBH’s
new managing director to build on the news station’s promising start.
“My goal isn’t to copy what’s already out there,” Redo says. “We want to shed
light on stories and subjects that have been underreported or are just emerging.” In
October, Redo launched new beats focusing on innovation in business, life sciences,
and the economy; culture writ large; and on politics and local voices.
First out of the gate are Innovation Hub and The Xconomy Report, “two programs
that make inroads into stories you won’t ﬁnd anywhere else,” Redo says. Innovation
Hub (Saturdays/7am; Sundays/10pm) explores how Boston-area innovators are
tackling the big challenges facing our nation and region, from renewable energy to
education, infrastructure, health care, and more.
The Xconomy Report (Friday mornings/7:50am), a collaboration between Kendall
Square-based Xconomy and 89.7 WGBH, takes a close-up look at the trends that are
shaping our region’s high-tech economy, gleaned from Xconomy’s high-powered
analyses of regional data on innovations in business, the life sciences, and technology.
“In-depth, independent journalism is one of public radio’s hallmarks,” Redo says.
“We’re carving out new territory, giving our listeners access to important stories on
air and also online. Boston is in the midst of enormous change, and 89.7 WGBH,
Boston Public Radio, will be there to cover it and be part of it. Stay tuned.”

Radio Campaign Update
WGBH’s Radio Campaign is having a major impact, enabling the signiﬁcant expansion
of 89.7 WGBH and Classical New England. 89.7 is rolling out a roster of new shows
(see above) while our classical service has expanded to 18 hours of locally produced
programming per day, including more opportunities to hear the Boston Symphony, on
radio and online. And now the service is reaching Providence-area listeners as well—all
thanks to Campaign contributors who have donated $5 million to date.

Growing up in rough-and-tumble 1970s
Detroit, phillip martin was nagged
by a sense that popular media was giving
most Americans only half the picture
of the troubled, once-mighty Motor City.
He wanted to show them the rest.
“Even as a kid, I knew that the sound bites
weren’t capturing the hopes and concerns of
people from my neighborhood,” he recalls.
Fast-forward four decades, and that
desire to tell the untold story still drives
Martin, who has built an award-winning
career as a radio journalist and producer.
As Senior Investigative Reporter for 89.7
WGBH, Boston Public
Radio, Martin leads
WGBH’s expanding
investigative unit,
winning recent
acclaim for his stories
on human trafﬁcking.
He also contributes to
WGBH’s Beat the Press, Basic Black, and The
World, a program he helped create as a senior
producer for PRI.
This past September, Martin was named
WGBH’s Margret and Hans Rey/Curious
George Producer for 2011-12. The producership was established in 2001 by a bequest to
support work that reflects Margret Rey’s
lifelong interests in science, public affairs,
arts, health, and children’s programming.
During his producership year, Martin will
focus on reporting in the areas of innovation
and social justice, as well as breaking news.
“As a reporter, it’s a luxury and a
responsibility to be given the time to ﬁnd
and breathe life into stories,” says Martin,
who still gets an adrenaline rush when he
hits upon a good lead. “There are very few
places—in Boston or anywhere else—that
allow and encourage reporters to practice
journalism in the way that WGBH does.”
To learn how you can establish a WGBH
bequest, contact Ericka Webb, director
of Gift Planning and Endowment, at
800-220-7122 or email planned_giving@
wgbh.org.

At a time when many news outlets are scaling back,
WGBH is redoubling its efforts to create and distribute
independent, in-depth journalism across a range
of platforms—TV, radio, the Web, mobile devices—
shedding light on the critical issues affecting
our community, region, nation, and world.
Stories that matter…in the public’s interest.